Being aware of how we 'show up' in our workplaces, how we interact with our colleagues and what our bodies are telling us in even the most seemingly trivial interactions (am I anxious, tense, relaxed, energised?) is, at least in our experience, a critical set of skills for anyone practicing leadership - at any level.

What if we told you that acquiring this most valuable of skills can be found in the paddock, by exploring your connection with a horse?

Jackie Smith is Founder and Lead Facilitator at The Wisdom of the Horse, an organisation providing deep, experiential learning programs for leadership and team development. Jackie joined Paul & KG for a wonderful conversation unpacking the benefits of experiential learning and how working with horses can unlock and deepen learning for both, individuals and teams, helping build trust and genuine connections with each other. It was an insightful, energising and inspiring conversation.

And on this occasion, our friends at Annandale Cellars provided an exquisite French chardonnay (very much in the Chablis style, though not strictly from the Chablis region). Nevertheless, it was a gorgeous, crisp wine, which really carried the full flavour of the chardonnay grape. It was a 2021 Christophe Patrice Chardonnay. Do yourself a favour and stock up for the warmer months!

Sláinte friends!

Some useful resources from this episode:

1. The Wisdom of the Horse
2. Jackie Smith's Website

We're keen to hear what you thought of this conversation. Please let us know through either of the options below.

Please reach out on askus@leadershipdecanted.com or visit us at www.leadershipdecanted.com

Disagree or agree with anything we've said? How wrong are we?!? Are there any leadership topics you'd like us to discuss (or perhaps other books or podcasts that might set us straight!)? Maybe you'd like to recommend a favourite wine!

Whatever tickles your fancy, we'd love to hear from you!!

Do you ever feel like things are getting just a little too 'noisy' for you? Maybe you're juggling too many things at work, or change is coming at you at increasing speeds and frequency, or maybe 'doom scrolling' is taking its toll?

Experiences of cognitive load are being increasingly reported in the workplace. It is a real thing that can create high levels of instability in people's experiences of work and workplace relationships. People in leadership positions want to show support for people's physical and mental wellbeing, but the work still needs to get done.

So how can people actually pull away and give themselves some space to rest and replenish, given the pressures of the working environment?

In this Cheeky Half Paul and KG discuss this potential conundrum and throw around some half-baked thoughts and ideas that might provide some insight. Maybe. If not, there's always Meatloaf.

Join us and let us know what you think!

We'd love to hear what you thought of this conversation.

Please let us know through either of the options below.

Please reach out on askus@leadershipdecanted.com or visit us at www.leadershipdecanted.com

Disagree or agree with anything we've said? How wrong are we?!? Are there any leadership topics you'd like us to discuss (or perhaps other books or podcasts that might set us straight!)? Maybe you'd like to recommend a favourite wine!

In some ways, the word 'Culture' is as difficult to define as one of our other favourite words, 'Leadership'. A number of competing definitions abound, but what seems common to many of our experiences is that, whilst a clear and concise definition may not always roll off the tongue, we certainly seem very clear when we see or experience 'bad' culture. Research increasingly suggests there are clear correlations in organisational outcomes that map to the health of any culture in an organisation - healthy or poor.

But how do we know whether your organisation's culture is going to support or hinder your strategic objectives? How can we clearly measure its health, aside from our own 'gut feel'? And what responsibility can organisational leaders exercise in the cultivation of healthy cultures? Enter Quentin Jones.

Quentin lives and breathes organisational culture. With a deep and expert research lens, he measures the health of cultures so as to provide opportunities for remediation, enhancement and growth. Join Paul & KG as they wrap their heads around how a fuzzy term like 'culture' can actually be a driving force for healthy and productive teams and, by extension, organisations.

On this occasion, our friends at Annandale Cellars provided an exquisite Australian blend from Soul Growers in the Barossa Valley. The 2022 Soul Growers Equilibrium is, as its moniker suggests, a perfect blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mataro. It is big and plummy, with a fruity, velvety mouthfeel. Go get some!

Sláinte friends!

Some useful resources from this episode:

1. The Culture Capital Group

We're keen to hear what you thought of this conversation. Please let us know through either of the options below.

Please reach out on askus@leadershipdecanted.com or visit us at www.leadershipdecanted.com

Disagree or agree with anything we've said? How wrong are we?!? Are there any leadership topics you'd like us to discuss (or perhaps other books or podcasts that might set us straight!)? Maybe you'd like to recommend a favourite wine!

Whatever tickles your fancy, we'd love to hear from you!!

When leading teams or organisations, there is often an unspoken expectation that, no matter how dark the challenge, those leading us will know a way through to the light. After all, surely they have done this before. They simply open their leadership playbooks to the relevant page, and there we go.

But there we don't.

In this Cheeky Half Paul and KG talk about the potential folly of insisting on solving problems the same way you've always done it - which is essentially the purpose of a 'playbook'. We assume most of us concur with the well-worn adage, "Past performance is no guarantee of future results." It's no different in our daily leadership practice.

So what's the 'answer'?

Join us and let us know what you think!

We'd love to hear what you thought of this conversation.

Please let us know through either of the options below.

Please reach out on askus@leadershipdecanted.com or visit us at www.leadershipdecanted.com

Disagree or agree with anything we've said? How wrong are we?!? Are there any leadership topics you'd like us to discuss (or perhaps other books or podcasts that might set us straight!)? Maybe you'd like to recommend a favourite wine!

Back in Cheeky Half 17, Paul & KG considered the Social Cohesion Report, researched and published by the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute. It is a veritable goldmine of insight and possibility, pointing out the many ways our society connects, grows and flourishes - and the potential risks we should all guard against in order to protect societal cohesion. They also wound up their conversation wondering if there would be an opportunity to talk to someone at the institute so they could explain the purpose and impact of such compelling work.

Fast-forward (well, not too fast...) almost an entire season later and Paul & KG had the absolute pleasure of sitting with Anthea Hancocks, CEO of the Research Institute, to discuss all things cohesion, and especially the stories that hold us together.

This is a deeply engaging conversation, covering the origins of the research, it's purpose, it's use across a number of domains (social policy, community engagement, to name just two) and the way stories around our local communities help to create and sustain a sense of belonging and connection.

And of course, we are kept company by an unbelievably, top-notch, non-alcoholic Riesling (yes, you read that correctly!). Our friends at Annandale Cellars knocked it out of the park with the stunning Dr Loosen Dr Lo Riesling. It is a non-vintage, non-alcoholic drop that will blow you away. You just have to try some!

Sláinte friends!

Some useful resources from this episode:

1. An executive summary of the Mapping Social Cohesion Report 2023, beautifully visualised.
2. Scanlon Foundation
3. Scanlon Foundation Research Institute
4. Mapping Social Cohesion Report 2023 - Full (Download)
5. Social Cohesion Compass
6. Strong Communities Narratives
7. Welcoming Cities
8. Voices of Australia Podcast

We're keen to hear what you thought of this conversation. Please let us know through either of the options below.

Please reach out on askus@leadershipdecanted.com or visit us at www.leadershipdecanted.com

Disagree or agree with anything we've said? How wrong are we?!? Are there any leadership topics you'd like us to discuss (or perhaps other books or podcasts that might set us straight!)? Maybe you'd like to recommend a favourite wine!

Whatever tickles your fancy, we'd love to hear from you!!

The concept of Resilience is one whose purchase has increased exponentially in Leadership circles over the past few decades. We preach its virtues and benefits with increasing zeal and seek out practices that will instil in us the necessary skills to overcome and bounce back from adversity. But what if we have so totally misunderstood resilience as to render it nothing more than a myth - an unattainable holy grail that, in fact, can do more harm than good?

Paul has been reading (always a fraught activity in his hands) and has been struck by the possibility his entire conception of resilience has fallen prey to the myth. As KG listens patiently, they both try and wrestle with the possibility that they have been too narrow in their thinking and that resilience may be so much more. How might this change how we think about leadership?

Here is the book that triggered the conversation:

• The Resilience Myth: New Thinking on Grit, Strength, and Growth After Trauma (Soraya Chemali, Simon & Schuster, 2024)

Join us and let us know what you think!

We'd love to hear what you thought of this conversation.

Please let us know through either of the options below.

Please reach out on askus@leadershipdecanted.com or visit us at www.leadershipdecanted.com

Disagree or agree with anything we've said? How wrong are we?!? Are there any leadership topics you'd like us to discuss (or perhaps other books or podcasts that might set us straight!)? Maybe you'd like to recommend a favourite wine!

We often talk about leadership as if we all shared a common understanding of its purpose. But what is leadership for, really? Is it to ensure things get done? Is it to inspire others to a shared goal or purpose? What if its purpose were both grander and more noble than that? What if leadership practice exists to effect the 'common good' in society and those that dwell within it?

According to Associate Professor Samuel Wilson, from Swinburne University and researcher for the Australian Leadership Index, the concept of the 'common good' is an idea whose time has come, and leadership practice is very much at the forefront of shifting it beyond an abstract concept to real, lived experience.

Join Paul & KG as they talk to Sam Wilson to try and get their heads around the idea of the common good, and the forms of leadership practice that might make this common good a reality.

Today's wine is a delicious and fruity one from Gounyan Wines, in Australia's capital, Canberra. The wine is a 2023, Murrumbateman Syrah. A smooth and medium bodied red wine that fills the mouth with soft fruit and spice. A lovely drop provided by our friends at Annandale Cellars. Check them out for this and other outstanding wines.

Sláinte friends!

Some useful resources from this episode:

1. Australian Leadership Index

We're keen to hear what you thought of this conversation. Please let us know through either of the options below.

Please reach out on askus@leadershipdecanted.com or visit us at www.leadershipdecanted.com

Disagree or agree with anything we've said? How wrong are we?!? Are there any leadership topics you'd like us to discuss (or perhaps other books or podcasts that might set us straight!)? Maybe you'd like to recommend a favourite wine!

Whatever tickles your fancy, we'd love to hear from you!!

Cheeky Half episodes are Paul and KG's attempts at articulating ideas on leadership they've been tossing around but not fully comprehended. It's a way of starting a conversation and seeing whether anything 'sticks'. It is also a great vehicle for engaging with a growing, and increasingly vocal, audience. And it's the latter that really pumps them up!

In this short episode they address some listener questions and concerns triggered by a recent episode where Paul and KG asked, "What makes a great leader?" (Ep 4.04). We're so grateful for these listener interactions, please keep them coming. This question is yet to be fully resolved.

Join us and let us know what you think!

We'd love to hear what you thought of this conversation.

Please let us know through either of the options below.

Please reach out on askus@leadershipdecanted.com or visit us at www.leadershipdecanted.com

Disagree or agree with anything we've said? How wrong are we?!? Are there any leadership topics you'd like us to discuss (or perhaps other books or podcasts that might set us straight!)? Maybe you'd like to recommend a favourite wine!